Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda: Exclusive Cover Reveal + giveaway

Sometimes all you need to hear are 10 words to know that you desperately want a book. A few months ago, these were the words I saw on Twitter to describe Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli:

You’ve Got Mail starring gay teenage boys with good grammar.

Doesn’t that sound intriguing? That short description speaks to a certain playfulness, attention to detail, and romantic nature that I find so appealing. Not to mention the fact that it’s a LGBTQ story, which we need to see more of in YA fiction.

Today, we’re so pleased to host the exclusive cover reveal for this highly anticipated book. It’ll be out from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins on April 7th, 2015, and here’s your very first look!

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

About the Author

Becky Albertalli is a clinical psychologist who has had the privilege of conducting therapy with dozens of smart, weird, irresistible teenagers. She also served for seven years as co-leader of a support group for gender nonconforming children in Washington, DC. These days, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and son, and writes very nerdy contemporary young adult fiction.

Becky’s debut novel, SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, releases from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins on April 7th, 2015. Visit her website, find her on Goodreads, or send her a tweet.

Feel free to grab and share the cover art!

We have the author with us today to tell us a little more about the book, along with a guest from the publisher’s art department to talk about how the story was conceptualized for the cover. Um, how many people have R.E.M.’s art director design the cover for their books? Simon, you’re a lucky bastard.

Five Things You Should Probably Know About Simon Spier
by Becky Albertalli

1. He likes Oreos.
No, but seriously. He REALLY likes Oreos. He would literally eat Oreo products every day, for every meal, exclusively, if he could get away with it. Oreo is not a cookie. It’s a food group. It’s a lifestyle.

2. He’s never kissed a boy.
But he strongly suspects that it’s awesome. Probably more awesome than Reese’s cups. Maybe even more awesome than Oreos. Maybe.

3. His family is a freaking handful.
Simon’s dad fancies himself a hipster. His mom is way too curious about Simon’s personal life. His older sister is the queen of political correctness, and his younger sister just wants to fly under the radar. Also, his dog is basically Justin Bieber in Animagus form.

4. He’s sort of falling in love.
Over email. If that’s even possible. Because there’s this boy. He’s weird, funny, mysterious, and grammatical. He likes superheroes and secret identities – and he gets it. He gets why Elliott Smith is the greatest singer/songwriter who ever lived. He gets how you can know someone so completely, without really knowing him at all. He gets Simon.

The only problem is, you can’t kiss a boy through an email.

5. He would absolutely, 100% adore this cover.
Speaking of people who get Simon: Alison Klapthor and Chris Bilheimer TOTALLY nailed it. This cover, with its band poster vibe, is Simon to the core – and it’s exactly how Simon would want you to see him. And for a book about a boy falling in love anonymously over email: what could be more perfect than a speech bubble for a face?

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I won’t judge you if you want to make out with this cover. I want to. I may or may not have already tried.

So, since this cover basically turns me into a gushing, inarticulate fangirl, I’m going to pass the mic to Alison and let her talk about her design process (SPOILER: She is cooler than me. She is cooler than everyone).

Note from Alison Klapthor (Associate Art Director at HarperCollins):

I love Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda for so many reasons. The setting resonated with me in particular — I went to college in Athens, Georgia, and my friends and I would always go to Atlanta and hit Little Five Points, the Varsity, etc. – so many of the cool places referenced in the novel. I also really liked that music is such a big part of the book, and so important to Simon himself. Athens is very much a music lovers’ town; several great indie bands came out of there, most notably R.E.M. and the B-52s. (I like to think that Simon would have gone on to undergrad there.) I completely connected with Simon’s music nerdiness, which inspired my concept for the cover.

Immediately I thought the cover should look like a band t-shirt, or the kind of poster for a show you’d see on every corner in Athens. And this of course made me think of my friend Chris Bilheimer, whom I met when I was in school. He had the dreamiest job of being R.E.M.’s art director, and did much of their packaging and promos for years. He’s since gone on to design for other big bands and movies. Chris has an enviable portfolio of iconic work and is an excellent conceptual thinker. I contacted him to do something like he would do for a band, but for our book. To my delight, he was interested and totally nailed the themes in the story in a very rock-and-roll way. We all loved it from the start, and were thrilled that Becky was so happy with it too.

Win an autographed Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda ARC + cookies!

Thanks to our lovely friends at Balzer + Bray, our readers have the chance to win an autographed advance copy of this book + a box of Oreos. (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda won’t be out for another 10 months, but winners will receive ARCs as soon as they roll off the press.) Wait, did I say Oreos? I did. Since they play a significant role in this book, winners will get a box of cookies along with their books! SIMON COOKIE GRAMS. The author will even personalize the autographed books to the winners’ liking.

Harper is being super generous with this giveaway, so there will be6 Simon ARC package winners that we will choose from each of the following platforms:

Just fill out the Rafflecopter form and leave a thoughtful comment below telling us why you are jonesin’ for this book. For additional opportunities to win, share this contest on one of the platforms above as directed. For each share, remember to copy the URL for your share into Rafflecopter as well.

This is the only place you’ll be able to win this book for some time, so be sure to enter if you’re interested! Open to U.S. and Canadian residents and 18 and up, or 13 and up with parental permission. See entry form for complete details.

So what do you think, friends? Are you as excited about this book as I am? I’ll leave you with a few words from Brooks Sherman, the author’s agent…

“I might be biased, but this is one of the most compelling YA manuscripts I’ve yet read. It’s one hell of an addictive read, a coming-out story that embraces but also transcends the sexual identity definition of the term.”

I also agree this sounds very similar to WG, WG. I am intrigued to meet Simon’s family, who sound like a complete riot, and learn whatever twist there is sure to be about Blue. Plus, OREOS!Mary H recently posted…Review: Boomerang by Noelle August

solarsister

I’d love a copy of the ARC for this book! I’m a teen librarian at a public library, and while I’ve always tried to maintain a diverse collection of YA lit, I am trying to beef up my GLBT collection a little. I’ve recently experienced a couple of my teen regulars coming out to me and I want them to have access to books they can see themselves in!

Laura Gokey

I’m looking forward to this book because I had a friend in high school who was gay, but didn’t want anyone to know. It was hard for him to hide his true self and eventually just let it all out. He felt much better afterwards!

Nikki Robinson

Why am I excited to read this book? First, an author that is a psychologist? AWESOME. A character that shamelessly loves cookies? DOUBLE AWESOME. His parents sound like mine- a dad that tries really hard to be cool, a mom that is kind of overbearing. I really like books about the LGBTQ community; it’s awesome to see the trend of diversity in YA.

I can barely contain my excitement for this book! Its very rare that I come across a book that i fall in love with based off summary (and pitch line of course). The more i read about this book and its components the more I’m sure that it will be fantastic!Sameeha Shariff recently posted…misswendyd:

SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA is described as…

Jessica Collins

This one sounds SO FANTASTIC. I’m sorry, but as soon as I read “You’ve Got Mail starring gay teenage boys with good grammar”, I was in. That might be the best one-line pitch ever. I can’t wait to read it! :)Jessica R recently posted…Blog Tour Review: Dollhouse by Anya Allyn

1. Becky is amazing and funny and the book will be too.
2. That COVER. I mean, I know we’re not supposed to judge books by them, but COME ON.
3. I love stories that involve You’ve Got Mail-esque settings, gay boys, and good grammar.
4. Oreos
5-infinity. IT’S GOING TO BE SO GOOD

Serenity

Sarah K.

I’m excited to read this book because of the cover. PLEASE DON’T KILL ME. But I love how the head is missing and it’s a thought bubble. In the description it says that Simon is hiding so the head is gone. Also he is emailing another person back and forth, so if you think of iPhones a though bubble appears when you’re talking to someone. I think that the cover matches the description amazingly. Also why wouldn’t you want to read a book when Oreos play a big part? :)

Andy

This books sounds so interesting! I always love reading about LGBTQ themes in YA literature, and I can’t wait to see how that’s addressed in this interesting premise…why does it only come out in a year!! :'(Jamie recently posted…I PUBLISHED A BOOK!!!

Max Baker

I love grammar, so good grammar makes me happy…I love You’ve Got Mail…I met my husband online, so I love that premise in books/movies…I love Oreos…this book sounds right up my alley!Rachel recently posted…Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

I haven’t honestly read a lot of LGBTQ books, and this one seems like a great place to improve. Really, the humor involved (the facts the author gave made me laugh hard) sounds sweet, as does the romance. Even with the humor I feel like this one will still be quite emotional.

Thanks for the giveaway, I’ll be most definitely be entering. Even if I don’t win I have this one high on my TBR. It honestly has so much promise and I’m glad that it’s representing the LGBTQ community in YA, which is frankly quite underrepresented. PLUS OREOS! Omg.

Waaaait. I’m confused, is this book open for Canadians and Americans? Lol above the rafflecopter giveaway it says that it’s open to both, but when I click ‘enter to win’ the text says open to residents of the USA only???

Oh, Larissa–I’m so sorry1 The contest IS open to Canadians. The Rafflecopter was a mistake, because I duplicated the wrong contest.

But yeah, doesn’t this sound great? Totally agree about LGBTQ being underrepresented…everywhere, but especially in YA.

Also, I may have jumped the gun on dismantling a widget that one person was complaining led her to download a virus, and now I think it’s affected the IDs on the comments for some reason? What is going on.

LOVE this cover. I’ve been excited for this book since reading the PW announcement & wow, this cover is so good. Love the band feeling. LOL I feel like a fangirl…I think I want to make out with this cover, haha.

cj

Um….obviously all the reasons – You’ve Got Mail, the great characters, Oreos. What’s not to love? Also, as a high school teacher, I feel this one has some important stuff to say to my audience and thus, to me.

as a high school teacher, I feel this one has some important stuff to say to my audience and thus, to me.

I love that you care so much, Sara. <3 Fingers crossed for your entry! Please don't by shy about earning extra points by sharing it on Instagram, tweeting daily, etc. We have six total winners, and it sounds like something you're really going to enjoy.

I have to admit that I was immediately intrigued by those 10 words, BUT . . . a shared love of Elliott Smith? How could I NOT want this book. Thanks for sharing! This sounds like it might be the same sort of book as Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and I LOVED that, so yeah, onto the wishlist it goes ;)Jessica @ Rabid Reads recently posted…Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

You’re the second person to mention WG, WG. I haven’t read any John Green yet, but I do like David Levithan, so I might have to check that one out sometime. And yeah, I think the music thing is going to make this book very appealing to a lot of readers!

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of John Green. *gasp* BUT this reads VERY differently from the several books of his that I’ve read, and I’ve always assumed it was more reflective of Levithan’s work (even though the only other Levithan book I’ve read is Nick and Nora, which is also co-written). Anyway, WG,WG is much more hopeful and sweet than Green’s work. It really captures that odd combination of naive, teenage innocence and hesitant cynicism. LOVED it.Jessica @ Rabid Reads recently posted…Review: Chasers of the Wind by Alexey Pehov

Dang, The Midnight Garden’s praise of this book combined with its intriguing concept/lauds from so many other sources makes it a must-read. I’m curious about how Albertalli’s protagonist will transcend the typical coming-of-age plot line. I’m also inclined to read this because Albertalli is a licensed clinical psychologist – even if that has little relevance with the book itself, I’d love to read a book by someone with a similar interest.Thomas recently posted…Gives Light by Rose Christo

You know, when the author sent me her guest post, I was going to shoot her an email saying, hey, do you want to address why you wanted to write this story? But then I read her bio, and I thought–this answers both that question, as well as how she’s qualified to have a sense of what boys have experienced. I’m so excited to read this book–not only because it sounds fantastic, but because I have a lot of faith in her agent’s taste.

Carissa

This book sounds extremely intriguing to me. I love the fact that LGBTQ is making it’s way into YA novels. I think it’s something that needs to be talked about more. Plus, Simon sounds like a really fun, witty, relatable character.

Well, if you’re dying for a copy, be sure to earn those extra entries by tweeting daily, pinning on Pinterest, sharing on Tumblr, etc, etc! Chances are SUPER good since we plan on choosing a winner from each of those places.

This sounds pretty cool! I, too, love Oreos. I heard somewhere that Oreos have an ingredient in i that makes them more addictive than crack. I guess it may true. Plus the cover and that title are definitely eye-catching!Sarah J. recently posted…Clipped Wings by Helena Hunting

Whoa, really? I have never heard of this! It sounds like an urban legend. Maybe that ingredient is sugar, they always say sugar is the most addictive substance there is. Though “magic” would probably also explain it.

It could be. I heard it on the radio. The study sounded pretty reliable unlike a lot of the dumb stuff they talk about. I definitely agree with that. LOL Sugar is magical pixie dust.;)Sarah J. recently posted…Stacking the Shelves: Kindle Edition

This looks amazing! There really isn’t enough LGBT YA out there, particularly the non-angsty kind (which I feel like this is). I would love to read this and eat oreos. Because I love oreos.Peyton recently posted…My Top 5 Bookish Pet Peeves!

I can’t even come with a reason NOT to die for this book. That synopsis! That blurb! That cover! LGBT! Oh, and the author is 51 shades of awesome, too ;) I’ve been dying for this book pretttty much since announcement day.Dahlia Adler recently posted…Author Spotlight: Trish Doller

I LOVE books that have humor in them, and this one sounds like it’s going to be pretty funny. It’s not that we don’t need coming out stories that are serious, but man, it’s nice to have ones that are more light-hearted, too. I think it sort of reflects the gradual shift we’ve been making to becoming more educated/open to non-nucleur families.

Denisa

Blog contests are always restricted because of publishers’ regional restrictions, or because the bloggers are paying for the international shipping themselves. I promise you, all of us would be opening these if we could. But I’m glad you are interested in the book! Hope it arrives in your country around the same time as the U.S.

Diverse reads are so important, and it’s so great that your kids have a teacher who’s building a classroom library for them! We have a cover reveal for a book on Monday that features diverse characters as well, though that one is for middle grade readers.

Rebecca

This sounds really great! Thanks for the post and the giveaway – this is a book that probably would’ve flown right under my radar if I hadn’t read about it here. I’ll definitely be looking out for it now.

Nikki

Hah! That’s the thing about reading blogs, you’re always getting excited about books that don’t come out for aaaages. But yes, fingers crossed that you’ll win a copy. Don’t forget that we’re picking winners from each of the listed social media platforms, so your chances are VERY good if you tweet, Facebook, Pin, Instagram, etc.

Why am I excited to read this book? You had me at “_You’ve Got Mail_ starring gay teenage boys with good grammer.” Also, Oreos. I may pass the ARC along to my teen group to review but those Oreos will be MINE.

I keep hearing people talk about WG, WG, I need to flip through it sometime. And yes, it sounds like a book that would be relatable to a lot of readers, not limited to just one specific group. I hope your students get a chance to read it eventually next year.

I really must read this if not just for the reference to my favorite movie, You’ve Got Mail, but it also sounds like a story filled with humor and lots of heart. The cover looks gorgeous, love the design and the speech bubble versus putting a face to the person, wonderful!

Funnily enough, I’ve never seen YOU’VE GOT MAIL, just THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER! I have to rectify that sometime, because the idea is super cute. I love the idea of updating that, as a YA book, with two boys.

Ack :D Amazing post sweetie. <3 Thank you all so much for sharing. And I adore that cover. Pretty :D It sounds like an AWESOME book as well. <3 Thank you for letting me know about it :)Carina Olsen recently posted…Cover Reveal: The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

This is a fantastic cover! I am already plotting a manicure based on it. Sounds like a fun read, too. I don’t read a lot of LGBT books but I want to make more of an effort to. Definitely adding this to the TBR shelf.fishgirl182 @ nite lite recently posted…Manicure Monday (67): Ruin and Rising

Awwww, like Cait, I can’t join the giveaway due to my blasted geographical destination, but that won’t stop me from commenting! I’m definitely intrigued now… The LGBT community is still too underrepresented in this widely-read market, so I appreciate books like this, especially since it’s a notch more realistic considering it has technology in the mix! There are so many friendships, relationships, and romance blossoming thanks to the Internet, and an LGBT story centering on that while also finding his own place in the world sounds insanely perfect. I really hope this book will have the praise and attention it deserves!Faye D’Social Potato (@kawaiileena) recently posted…ARC Review: How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark

Yes! Good point re: technology. I’ve always loved the idea of letter writing seducing lovers, so along with the huge boom in people meeting/becoming involved via the internet, this really is a timely update on that. I hope it’s as funny as it sounds!

Love both the sound and cover of this book! It sounds like a fun and deep story at the same time, and actually original, though I’m not exactly an expert in LGBT books. Out of all things, I’m particularly curious about this Justin Bieber-esque dog. Because who can say no to a dog like that?

This is exactly what I’m hoping for! We need more humor injected into YA in general, but I think it’s particularly cool to see more coming out stories that aren’t quite so serious. I mean, we need those, too, but sometimes you can get a little oversaturated with the drama.

The author’s been REALLY great to chat with for this reveal, so I’m betting that’ll translate to her writing style.

Ah! This sounds awesome! I want it now! I’m on a book committee for some school reading books and this sounds like exactly what I’m looking for!!! Can’t wait!!!Jessica Cooley recently posted…The Immortal Crown Review

One of the reasons I’d love to read this book is this almost happened to my nephew. Someone found out that he was gay and threatened to expose him to the school before he was ready. I don’t think there was a pen pal involved, but very similar situation.M. Andrew Patterson recently posted…Guest Post: BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler

Oh wow, I’m so sorry! I hope your nephew got through that okay. It sounds like this is a book that will resonate for him, too. It’s so terrible that things things ever happen, let alone in this day and age.

Oh, I know–I’m sorry we couldn’t open this up internationally! I know it’s hard to get some of our realistic fiction overseas. But you know, territory rights and all that. AND now you know how we feel about your hoarding all the Aussie books on Fishpond and at Dymocks.

I hope you get your hands on it next year anyway! It sounds like a book you’d love, Cait.

Yeah, I really like the red and white and black, and that splash of blue. The graphic/almost graffit-like design is really cool, and appropriate for a male POV. It’s so cool that they were able to get the R.E.M. art director to do it, too!

[…] the artwork is going to be eye-catching, but that the book is going to be awesome. When we hosted the cover reveal for Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda last year, I had a good feeling […]

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